Trump is trying to negotiate with an Iranian regime at war with itself

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The struggle among powerfulness factions successful Tehran is nary longer hidden; signs of disorder successful a tense atmosphere, interior clashes and a powerfulness conflict are intelligibly visible, and interior rifts person go much evident than ever. Under existent conditions, Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), operates arsenic a shadiness leader; his faction stands successful absorption to the faction of parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, portion successful the meantime the faction of Director of the Supreme National Security Council Mohammad Zolghadr plays the relation of a hidden orchestrator. The ellipse of powerfulness is becoming tighter time by day, and successful practice, the operation of governance has turned into a benignant of joint-stock institution of intelligence-security criminals.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, too, has truthful acold been kept hidden by the halfway of power; and gradually, rumors of his decease are spreading successful society. But the question remains: however agelong tin the ruling constitution proceed this game? Is helium adjacent live to beryllium unveiled 1 day? If conditions are normal, what is the intent of each this cat-and-mouse game; and if helium is not alive, does this not mean an intensification of the powerfulness conflict wrong the regime?

At present, the remnants of the Assembly of Experts person issued a connection declaring that helium is alive, and immoderate regime-affiliated clerics — known arsenic Shiite sources of emulation — person besides confirmed this assertion done authoritative notices. But are each these staged scenes thing much than a governmental trick? Are the thoroughfare mobilizations and authorities propaganda among its supporters real, oregon simply portion of a controlled performance? If the information is revealed, does the authorities person the capableness to respond to the destructive consequences?

Meanwhile, U.S. and Israeli quality and espionage agencies person truthful acold not afloat confirmed whether helium is live oregon dead. On the different hand, it is inactive unclear wherefore and however helium was selected, done what process helium roseate to this presumption and by what mechanics helium was approved.

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A poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is attached to the windshield of a motorcycle.

A poster is pasted connected a motorbike windshield with graphic depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei arsenic authorities supporters stitchery to people the 40th time since the sidesplitting of his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, successful Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

What is besides evident to planetary observers is that wrong the logic governing this structure, democracy, the people’s ballot and electoral mechanisms person nary place; what exists is the continuation of a dictatorship defined nether the rubric of "absolute guardianship of the jurist," and referred to by the Islamic assemblage arsenic "pure Muhammadan Islam" — a delusional mentation that, wrong its circumstantial ideological framework, is wholly detached from the communal standards of modern governance, rationality and civility.

The junta-like conception of the authorities besides acts arsenic a superior obstacle to immoderate dialog with President Donald Trump and the United States and continues to prosecute its declared extremity of the demolition of Israel. From Tehran’s perspective, Trump is not inclined toward entering a warfare and seeks to debar nonstop confrontation; for this reason, a strategy of attrition, wasting clip and deception has been placed connected the agenda.

At the aforesaid time, the archetypal ellipse of powerfulness and the regime’s hard halfway inactive see figures who person not been eliminated by Israel oregon the United States — a operation of fanatical elements with Russophile and Anglophile tendencies who are unwilling to concede immoderate advantage. Internal divisions and conflicts are acold deeper than what U.S. and Israeli quality agencies ideate oregon analyze. In this context, it is inactive unclear who volition yet beryllium consenting to "drink from the poisoned chalice."

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At the aforesaid time, it has thing to connection astatine the negotiating table. In this context, giving clip nether the guise of diplomacy by Washington and Israel tin efficaciously make an accidental for propaganda exploitation, allowing Tehran’s authorities to assertion a benignant of "victory" done communicative construction; arsenic if determination is nary decisive volition to bring the process of structural alteration to an end.

The regime, successful bid to sphere appearances, has kept this dialog transmission unfastened and created a quasi-suspended and ambiguous atmosphere. At the aforesaid time, it tends to grow the scope of tensions successful bid to usage them arsenic a instrumentality for extracting concessions and wearing down the different side.

What is stated by the IRGC is much a play connected words than a wide response; neither transparent diplomacy is visible, nor is determination a circumstantial reply to U.S. demands. The main strategy is to bargain clip and proceed the crippled wrong the magnitude of clip — a deliberate effort to exhaust the opposing side, peculiarly the United States and the Trump administration. In this framework, clip has go 1 of the astir important tools successful the hands of Iran’s ruling actors.

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At assorted times, the authorities leaves the negotiating array — not arsenic portion of a calculated diplomatic strategy, but owed to its inability to recognize the logic of diplomacy and its inclination toward intelligence warfare, displays of leverage and the reproduction of crisis. These precise behaviors are themselves signs of Tehran’s disorientation. The ruling constitution is caught successful a vague and deadlocked concern and seeks to task that it determines the timing and conditions; whereas this is much than thing a intelligence crippled to sphere prestige. The main nonsubjective is to debar nonstop confrontation, not to determination toward a existent agreement. In this framework, the maneuver of unit is employed arsenic the superior tool.

What is presented by the IRGC lacks existent credibility and value successful the eyes of the United States, and Israel is good alert that Iran’s responses volition ne'er beryllium wide oregon reliable. This governmental structure, much than being acquainted with the connection of negotiation, is shaped wrong a model that prioritizes confrontation and the exertion of pressure. In specified an environment, genuine dialog has been replaced by ambiguity, suspension and attritional tactics.

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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a property   league  successful  Tehran, Iran successful  beforehand   of aggregate  flags

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a property league successful Tehran, Iran, Nov. 27, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

For this ruling establishment, Iran’s nationalist interests are not a priority, and determination is nary inclination to connection concessions, due to the fact that it possesses lone constricted reliable tools. Excessive reliance connected levers specified arsenic the atomic programme oregon determination networks, alternatively than generating sustainable power, has led to the deepening of crises. Under specified conditions, the imaginable of stableness successful Iran and the Middle East is progressively tied to cardinal transformations successful the operation of power. This is nary longer a operation of power; it is simply a country of the erosion of power. In different words, powerfulness successful Tehran is not being divided — it is collapsing from within.

Ultimately, what is unfolding successful Tehran contiguous is not a motion of powerfulness management, but an representation of its erosion. This is nary longer a cohesive structure; it is simply a postulation of rival factions, each warring for survival, not for governing the country. Power successful this strategy is neither consolidated nor distributed — it is disintegrating from within.

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Secrecy, intelligence warfare, playing with clip and propaganda displays are each signs of a deeper reality: a ruling strategy that nary longer has the capableness for decisive decision-making and is simply trying to bargain time. Under specified conditions, adjacent diplomacy has turned into a instrumentality for delaying crisis, not resolving it.

In this context, the main question is nary longer who volition instrumentality power, but whether this worn-out operation tin proceed astatine all. What is seen successful Tehran is not contention for the future, but a conflict implicit the endurance of a decaying bid — an bid that is person than ever to its endpoint.

Erfan Fard is simply a Washington, D.C.–based counterterrorism expert specializing successful Iranian quality and information structures, with a peculiar absorption connected the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His probe examines the regime’s decision-making networks, covert operations and determination strategy. He has appeared connected CBS News, Time, planetary Arabic TV channels, and his analyses person been featured successful The Hill, The Dallas Morning News, The Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom. 

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